One Hit Wonders

[Menshevik]

Some of the ones I miss the most are Dexy's Midnight Runners and of course, Milly Vanilly.

[Sasafrás]

Yes, Milli Vanilli were totally da bomb. Too bad the blond one died :(

Jill Sobule (The "Supermodel" singer) and Four Non-Blonds (The group that sang the "What's Going On" song) were wicked awesome as well. Is that group Semisonic ("Closing Time") considered a 1 hit wonder band? They ruled.

[Menshevik]

yeh Semisonic was an unfortunate one hit wonder, but that's all they had. Four non-blondes were pretty cool, now the singer is the artist presently known as Pink's producer. Another unfortunate on hit wonder was (dammit I can't remember their name) uhhmm. . . those guys who sang Bittersweet Symphony. They had promise, but the Rolling Stones shut them down for using samples of their tunes. Being a one hit wonder isn't too bad, after all, the great James Hendricks was technically a one hit wonder. Please continue to post your favorite one hit wonders people.

Keep on Rockin'

[Sasafrás]

The Verve.. They did "Bittersweet Symphony." I swear, I wanted to post them, but I didn't want to call them 1HW's.

[Menshevik]

Its a crying shame, but they were nothing more. I also forgot Sinead O'Connor. I missed seeing her on the top 100 charts, but you know, the whole pope incident.

[guerrillaradio]

One word for you: Crazytown

[BOZG]

The Verve were not one hit wonders in Ireland or Britain.

[Menshevik]

well they were in States, and thats all that matters to me. Even A-Ha was able to carry on a successful career in the UK after Take on Me.

[Valkyrie]

Ha Ha Menshevik: I can't believe you said Dexy Midnight Runner's (Come on Eileen!) and AHa!!!!! Are you from the 80's too???!!

[Fires of History]

Maybe/maybe not a one-hit wonder, but I've always liked that song "Cannonball" by The Breeders.

[guerrillaradio]

Quote: from Menshevik on 10:35 pm on May 20, 2002
A-Ha was able to carry on a successful career in the UK after Take on Me.


Any Brits hear the A1 cover of that?? Man, where's our dignity...

[I Will Deny You]

My favorite one hit wonder is Arrested Development. My brother saw a television special on them and asked me who they were. The poor kid's too young to remember them!

"Cannonball" was okay, but I can't say I really miss it.

Lindsay

[Menshevik]

lol Paris, 80s had some of the best music, but worst fashions. Almost as bad as the 70s. I Don't remember Arrested Development.

Oh yeh, and Dexy's was the best, they had their own flavor!

[Menshevik]

I'm afraid Gorillaz are heading down that path. I really liked their stuff. . . some freaky shit

[Valkyrie]

Ha ha! Those blasts of the past, Menshevik, too funny. I tell you though, I couldn't get into that 80's music while it was going on. To have as a teenage soundtrack a cross- section of new wave music and hair-bands was a much worse fate than deafness. The constant rotation of Howard Jones, Tears for Fears, Winger and Whitesnake -- I was kissing the ground when the grunge scene hit in the 90's. The bright spot though, and thre was one, was punk. There were a lot of good underground punk bands to come out of the 80's.




(Edited by Paris at 11:22 pm on May 21, 2002)


(Edited by Paris at 11:58 pm on May 21, 2002)

[Menshevik]

There was some good punk (frankly I liked 80s Clash, but most people disagree with me. . . also 80s saw birth of U2--they did have punk roots) in the early 80s. I think we're about due for another grunge-like movement, because the music scene in the 80s was dominated by a lot of teenybopper bullshit, which formed into grunge. Right now we're stuck with N"sync and Britney Spears and other no talent ass clowns, so it's time to get back to the early 90s' roots. All it takes is a few music critics with their heads on straight to bring about a music revolution.


Oh and Morris Day and the [Muthafuckin] Time are the greatest.
Nothing can compare to the lovable decadence of the 80s; they were such simple times with innovative, corny, and beautiful music. Off topic, but have you read any Bret Easton Ellis--he's a culture critic of the 80s lifestyle.

[Sasafrás]

I like that group who did the song "Cool Like That." I can't think of their name, but I think they're Digable Planets.

[Menshevik]

sounds familiar.

[Valkyrie]

No, I haven't read anything by Bret Easton Ellis. I shall check him out though -- It's right up my alley. Thanks!

[Zippy]

Urban Cookie Collective are my 1 hit wonders of choice. ;)

Zippy.

[guerrillaradio]

Quote: from I Will Deny You on 9:38 pm on May 21, 2002
"Cannonball"

Wasn't that done by some girl from The Pixies?? Now they were a grate band...


I'm afraid Gorillaz are heading down that path.

They were only really Damon Albarn's side-project anyway, so I dunno if they can count...

[Zippy]

The Breeders was indeed formed by the ex-Pixies bass player Kim Deal. God bless The Pixies. :)

Zippy.

[Xkejjer]

i lay appalled..the verve? one hit wonder?! you must be joking , beore bittersweet symphnoy they had a career, and quite a successful one at that, in britain...also dexy's midnight runners are NOT one hit wonders..they had another famous hit..Gino i think it was called apart from come on eileen..

[Menshevik]

Im talking about top 100 charts in the states. And if you don't have only one hit over the top ten you really are a one hit wonder. Most artists never even get close to that top ten marker, but the defining quality of a one hit wonder is that they fizzle and burn after that lone hit. Also, the European Music market is truly strange. The Europeans collect artists that didn't do well in the states and most of those artists continue successful careers, but its not the same as their past glory. Getting a hit on the top 100 list is quite and achivement and the Verve only had one. And believe me Dexy's only hit was Come On Eileen.

Mind you, there are also two hit wonders, but they don't count i guess.

[BOZG]

Only people in Britain and Ireland will know this one but Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack

[Moskitto]

Napolean XIV was a funny 1 hit wonder.

He did "They're coming to take me away" at about the same time that Glenn Hoddle was sacked.

Remember when you ran away and I got on my knees and begged you not to leave because i'd go bazurk?

[Menshevik]

Do any Brits here listen to the Stranglers?

[Fires of History]

Who can forget Chumbawumba singing "I Get Knocked Down" on MTV wearing shirts with a big ONE HIT WONDER on them? LOL...right on.

But they're great, not sure I'd call them one-hit wonders outside of the U$.

[Menshevik]

Chumbawumba is a perfect example. Those were the days, going to a bar, getting pissed, and then listen to Chumbawumba. It's a great revival of an age old dillema, pissing the night away.

[guerrillaradio]

Quote: from Menshevik on 6:27 pm on May 23, 2002
Im talking about top 100 charts in the states. And if you don't have only one hit over the top ten you really are a one hit wonder.

That's quite cynical...just remember, chart success does not equal good music...


...the European Music market is truly strange. The Europeans collect artists that didn't do well in the states and most of those artists continue successful careers, but its not the same as their past glory.

Wow, you're patronising Europeans now. I dunno about the rest of Europe, but the UK chart is the only 'popular' chart, in that it's decided on record sales and not radioplay. So actually, it's more accurate than your beloved American chart (which is only decided by big corporations anyway, from what I've heard).

Picking up on the European point though, on MTV UK they have the European chart, and it doesn't really change from week to week, stuff like Britney Spears stays at #1 for about two months. It's quite depressing really...

BoZG - I remember, as a tender 10yrold cursing Mark Morrison for keeping my then-beloved Manic Street Preachers off #1.

Chumbawumba were the ultimate one hit wonder. Everyone I knew (and, in turn, everyone that they knew) liked that song but they burned pretty soon after. I remember them throwing a bucket of ice-cold water over John Prescott at the Brit Awards though, now that was funny...

[BOZG]

AmeriKKKan charts......what a joke

Almost all artists will tell you that they think Europeans have a better understanding of music and appreciate more than AmeriKKKans do.

[Menshevik]

I live in the States, therefore I do not give a shit about European charts. It's not a matter of who has more of an appreciation for music or anything, its just that I don't live in Europe.

GR, I agree that making the charts does not equal success, but if you have one hit and then become rather obscure (like so many bands) then it really does make you a one hit wonder. Once again, I do not care how successful you can be in Europe, I am talking specifically about the US.

[Zippy]

Quote: from guerrillaradio on 10:43 pm on May 23, 2002
I remember them throwing a bucket of ice-cold water over John Prescott at the Brit Awards though, now that was funny...
Did you here about Richard Madely commenting on that?

The lead singer, as you may remember, was called Dan Bert No Bacon, and Richard Madely was commenting on the "bucket of water" scandel and thought his name was french. He pronounced it 'Dan-ber No-back-on' (french accent neccesary) and missed the joke completely. No that, my friend, was funny. :)

Zippy.

[guerrillaradio]

No, I missed that. I should imagine Richard Madeley was suitably outraged. Fucking daytime TV, I ask you...

Weren't Chumbawumba right-wingers anyway??

[Fires of History]

Quote: from guerrillaradio on 9:45 pm on May 24, 2002

Weren't Chumbawumba right-wingers anyway??


Uhm, no, they're anarchists!!! There's too much to say to this, so...

Just go to The First Church of Chumbawumba (http://www.chumba.com/) and explore, great site.

This is from the FAQ section at /that/ website, taken from statements by the band:

"Democracy and capitalism aren’t the same thing... we love democracy: everybody having a say in a fair and equal environment. We’re not as keen on capitalism... with its imposition of wage labour, sweatshops, exploitation, child labour, class system and insistence that profit motive excuses the worst kinds of cruelty and inequality.

Having a state and a voting system isn’t a sign of democracy. In Britain all that changes are the faces, Blair quite openly states that the Labour Party act in the interests of business... and it’s a myth that the wealth trickles down from the multinationals into the hands of the people, now globalisation is in full swing companies are in a position to reduce wages to the level of the poorest countries. This week a computer company called Pace (which operates from Shipley just outside Leeds) told its workers that it was shutting up shop and moving to Mexico unless the workers would agree to reduce their wages to the levels paid in Mexico. That’s happening everywhere. And as for taking food from a starving child: Nestle does it everyday when it cons mothers into using tinned baby milk in countries which don’t have facilities for sterilisation. Children die every day as casualties of profit.

The myth is that the state protects us from ourselves and that the government is all that’s between us and a "Mad Max" situation. The law always falls second to what’s socially acceptable. Taking drugs is against the law but people still do it for recreation because in youth circles it’s socially acceptable. When we encourage each other to be better people we are, that’s basic human instinct rather than law. But in order to bring out the best in each other we have to eradicate poverty. Scratching a living amidst worry and hardship doesn’t bring out the best in us, and we take our unhappiness out on those around us."


And so on and so forth, the site is full of goodies, and I highly recommend reading all the FAQ's. Chumbawumba has said a lot of fabulous truth since their beginning. No, not right-wingers :)


Edit: That's why I brought up, a few posts ago, Chumbawumba wearing shirts that said "ONE HIT WONDER" on MTV. They knew what was going on and that their 'breakthrough' into mainstream was a fluke and destined to be short-lived, and they were just mocking all of it. They rock.

(Edited by Fires of History at 11:15 pm on May 24, 2002)

[BOZG]

GR, I ended up downloading Return of the Mack and know I can't get it out of my fuckin head.